Integrated Models of Education and Care

St Ultan’s Primary School has an integrated campus of education and care - see St Ultan's Primary School website here.

Corpus Christi Primary School in Moyross has developed a family centre on site including the Sky is the Limit Programme see Corpus Christi Primary School's website here.

St Ultan’s Primary School

St. Ultan’s is an integrated care and education model. This means that in addition to providing children with primary and early years education, they also put in place all of the necessary supports that are necessary for the child to succeed in later life.

The Integrated Care and Education Model (ICE) is a way of being, it is an approach to supporting the whole child and family. The following distinctive features characterise the St. Ultan’s approach:

Integrated: this means that the early childhood education and care is offered alongside primary education, family supports and therapeutic services. The two Boards of Management share responsibilities for governance across the entire campus. There is strong and purposeful co-operation between early education practitioners and primary school teachers, creating a smoother and more school-ready transition for children from early years to primary school.

Open: this means that the campus is open spatially and energetically to the entire community, using the premises in a way that the programme for government urges.

Holistic: this means that the whole child and family is considered and provided for within the model of service. The needs of the individual child are identified, assessed, and responded to; these include their physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, educational, social, and economic development.

Developmental: this means that attention is on the development of the whole child and his/her family and the wider community.

Wrap around: this means that the child and his/her family experience wrap around care across all domains and on one safe site.

Personalised: this means that the development of each child is anticipated and receives attention through a personalised ICE Plan.

Safe: this means that the campus space is safe and welcoming to all children and families, it is caring and stable for those who may experience difficulties coming into a school or care environment.

Therapeutic: this means that St. Ultan’s provides therapeutic supports to all children including those experiencing ASD, e.g., speech and language therapy, play therapy and counselling. Therapies are also offered to parents and guardians.

Nourishing: this means that children receive at least one nutritious meal each day on Campus prepared and delivered from their kitchen, efficiently and safely.

Family oriented: this means that there is provision of supports to parents/guardians and family members, including life-long learning and signposting to other relevant services within the community.

Preventative: this means that all the work on campus is immediate and responsive to the needs of children and families.

Community focused: this means that all members of the community are welcome on campus, and it provides local employment opportunities and a sense of belonging and support for local people.

Corpus Christi Primary School

Within the Corpus Christi Family Centre CLG, which is attached to Corpus Christi Primary School, they provide a range of interventions that complement classwork and contribute to the social, educational, and emotional development of their students and their families.

They have adopted a Community Partnership Network Model approach which is in essence the delivery of an integrated service centre on site, in the school.

Community services such as psychological interventions, adult counselling, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, family support, housing and employment support address the needs of the children and families in Moyross, in a way that meets them where they are. 

The centre also provides:

• Equine therapy
• Allied Health Partnership
• Music therapy
• Play therapy
• Family support
• Mindfulness

By developing this integrated service model, they believe that this will ultimately lead to cultural, and system change within the education sector in Ireland.

The Sky is the Limit Programme

This initiative commenced in 2015 and is coordinated by the Assistant Psychologist who is based at the school, under the clinical supervision of Dr Declan Aherne. The primary aim of the ‘Sky is the Limit’ programme is to provide psychological support to Corpus Christi Primary School (CCPS) and its surrounding community members.